Dickson

Next Community Event – Hawdon Street, Dickson Wetland

The construction of the off-line wetland at Hawdon St, Dickson was completed in December 2011. The pond and surrounds have been planted with a wide variety of locally occuring plants.

Excess stormwater will be piped to the Dickson Playing Fields and stored in tanks on site. This water will replace the use of potable water (drinking quality water) and helps the ACT Government reach its water reduction targets.

Community Planting Day - 4 June 2011

Over 200 people attended the Community Planting Day on Saturday 4 June 11 despite the bleak weather. They planted macrophytes (reeds), native grasses and trees and installed tree guards to protect plants from ducks and cockatoos. The event was followed by a bbq where volunteers consumed 18kg of organic sausages! Photo: Stephen Skinner

Looking at water bugs - water bugs or macroinvertebrates are a good indicator of how healthy a waterway is.

Photo: Edwina Robinson

Tree guards were made up ready to be installed around plants. Photo: Edwina Robinson

Installing guards. Photo: Edwina Robinson

School Visits

Year 1 and 2 students from North Ainslie School were the first members of the public to view the wetland.

Students walked to the wetland in June 11. Photo: Edwina Robinson

Fauna

Maned wood ducks quickly arrived after the wetland filled in May 2011 and a couple of black swans. Wood ducks are grazers and consumed mass plantings of Carex and Juncus. A range of measures were trialled to protect the plants including installation of bird netting and tree guards.

Local residents have spotted a number of other birds on site including:

Black-fronted dotterels

Plovers

Australasian Grebe

Hardheads

Coots

Little Pied Cormorant

Ibis

One of the rarer visitors was a flock of Plumed Whistling Ducks in spring 2011.

The ACT Government and experts from the Dickson Wetland Carers are working on a brochure of birds commonly seen at the newly constructed wetlands. The brochure will be available on-line in 2014.

Frogs quickly colonised the wetlands. In October 2011, two local residents took part in the Frogwatch census with the Urban Waterways Coordinator. They recorded calls of:

Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

Crinia signifera

Crinia parinsignifera

Two other frog species have been recorded since then

Litoria peroni

Limnodynastes dumerili

During the 2013 Frogwatch census volunteers recorded the five species listed above.

ABC News Reporter, Kathleen Dyett visited the wetland during the Frogwatch census and compiled this report.

Become a Facebook friend of the Dickson Wetland

Lyneham

The Lyneham wetland was opened to the public in April 2012. Like Dickson, it was planted with a diverse range of plant species. A Community Planting Day was held on 4 December 2011. Volunteers planted 1200 native grasses and shrubs.

Have your say about Dog Exercise Areas at the Dickson Wetland

The staff from the Urban Waterways program worked with local schools to design tiles for the inner-north wetlands. Students from Dickson College and Majura Primary created tile mosaics that reflect the wetlands. The mosaics have been installed in the paving at the Dickson wetland.